Ruelas was shot several times as his truck was parked outside the Hobee's restaurant at 800 W. Ahwanee Ave. He died at a hospital.

Ruelas had been the target of a drug operation during which he sold methamphetamine to undercover officers several times over the past month, Pitts said.

On the day of the shooting, Ruelas had sold a pound of the drug to officers, Pitts said.

A search of Ruelas and his truck did not turn up a weapon, police said.

The officers who fired their weapons were four detectives and a detective sergeant from the Santa Clara Police Department and a Santa Clara County sheriff's detective. Their names were withheld because of their undercover positions.

The shooting is under investigation by Sunnyvale police and the district attorney's office.